 |
Rev. Dr. Peter Garth
President, Jamaica
Evangelical Association |
The Jamaica
Evangelical Alliance (JEA) is deeply saddened by and abhors the tragedy that
took place at the Pathway International Kingdom Restoration Ministries of Montego Bay. We firmly believe that this incident
represents a very serious and disturbing development in Jamaica. The fact that three
persons were killed and three others hospitalized in the name of religion, is
enough to send reason reeling.
The deception and
seduction of power, both individual and institutional is a tale deeply rooted
in history. It is extremely sad that under the guise of church, the misuse and
abuse of authority has taken a very devastating toll in broken lives and
congregations. It is unfortunate that there are incidences where some Pastors end
up feeding off people, using them to meet their needs or make up for their vulnerabilities.
This behaviour is condemned in the Bible, and Ezekiel 34 warns against
shepherds and their lavished lifestyles rather than looking out for the well-being
of their sheep.
If we are true to
the Word of God we must admit that the religious ritual in Montego
Bay is not Christianity. What went down is Evil! It is clearly
demonic and the Christian Church has a responsibility to confront evil with the
help of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God!
JEA believes that
there is an urgent need to examine the widening Christian culture in Jamaica,
with its temptations toward fame and status, feeding into the problem of
abusive church leaders? The way the Bible depicts the church, Christ is the
head and we are part of his body. This means that there is a system involved,
but the system is a system that is supposed to follow its head. The
congregation has some responsibility for keeping the system healthy, mainly by
worshiping Christ and him alone. The church also needs to pray for its
leaders, that God will uphold them in godly leadership; not for the sake of gaining the material
and reputational blessings that some have come to love so much, but for God
himself to be honoured above all.
The JEA would like
to commend the members of the security forces who responded promptly to this incident
to avert further disaster, and we remain committed to doing all that we can to
educate persons concerning deception and warning signs of cultic
practices. We also pray for the
unfortunate members of the movement, who have been traumatized and for those
who have lost their loved one.
Note: Rev. Dr. Peter Garth is the President of the Jamaica Evangelical Alliance.
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On point but I would go further to say that the control and manipulation are present even in established churches as we speak. The misuse misappropriation of tithes n offering is no secret. The elevation to positions just to maintain the status quo. All those yes men n women to the hierarchy see or hear no evil. At lot more dangerous people to society are out their in churches right across Jamaica
ReplyDeleteI am glad that the security forces move same time because we would have more dead bodies
ReplyDeleteI want the Tax Administrator to do an audit of this man's finances as well as the church and its leadership. I see a Gofundme page has gone up, in order to raise
ReplyDeleteUS$30,000. WHY????
He is a poor man and therefore we must be sorry for him and we must help me. I am sure the money they will get will surpass the target many times. There are many more out there willing to follow any one who calls themself leader.
DeleteChurch business is BIG BUSINESS! All over the world. Some are much more rapacious than others thats all. The unfortunate bogus Church in MoBay can be attributable to the 58 years of undereducating of the Jamaican citizen. Certainly a failour of the JLPNP who seem more to feather their nests than put the people first. The Alibaba Parliament System is alive & well. I hope Brother Derby will allow this uncensored. Blessings as ee come more & more into the light 💡
ReplyDeleteMe come more and more into the light? I have been a very aware person from I was a child. I published Knox News which looked at things analytically from I was in 2nd Form. Yu just born di odder day :)
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